BXBX NOVEL Chapter 198: Strongholds Conflict
"In addition to the instability of the space, there are terrifying monsters within the mist."
"To kill those monsters, you need powerful weapons and a bit of luck."
"In short, leaving the Misty World depends entirely on luck."
Xavior seemed quite dejected when he spoke about this.
Especially after learning about Per's situation from Enzo, the longing from the prolonged separation tormented him greatly. The thought that they might never meet again left Xavior utterly disheartened.
Enzo was at a loss on how to help.
He asked, "Mr. Xavior, can you take me to other strongholds?"
Xavior nodded and replied, "It also depends on luck."
Traveling through the mist, the next area you enter can be very unstable.
The most troublesome encounters are with the stronghold tribes inhabited by the native residents. These natives retain their intelligence, but their mental state is worrisome due to long-term quasi-imprisonment. If captured, one might face some dire consequences.
These are all bloody lessons learned.
Because of this, unless absolutely necessary, Xavior and his Misty World exploration squad avoid leaving their strongholds.
However, when Enzo made the request, Xavior agreed without hesitation.
He suggested, "Let's set out after dawn. The space in the Misty World is even more unstable at night and sometimes connects to special spaces."
Connects to special spaces?
When Xavior mentioned this, Enzo immediately understood the origin of the Moon Tide monster they had encountered before.
No wonder there were no other Moon Tide monsters in the Spatial Stone vein's secret space.
...
Time passed quickly.
As the campfire burned out, sunlight began to shine again.
However, the brilliant sunlight did not dispel the mist. Instead, it formed beams of light in many places, distorting vision.
Xavior threw out a woven vine and explained to Enzo, "Everyone should hold onto the vine. It helps prevent us from getting separated to some extent. Of course, it's not very effective. We can only hope for a bit of luck."
Luck seemed to truly be on Enzo's side.
After several hours of travel, Xavior suddenly shouted, "The stronghold is just ahead! It's the largest stronghold in the Misty World!"
Hearing Xavior's shout, everyone's spirits were lifted.
Soon, they arrived at the new stronghold.
However, as soon as they entered, Enzo's expression changed.
Among the crowd, a towering figure, Bernard, was staring at him with a fierce look and started walking towards him.
This guy was still alive?
At that moment, Xavior approached a tall, thin middle-aged man and said flatly, "Macas, I've brought the team back."
Macas responded casually, "Good work."
Ignoring him, Xavior returned to Enzo's side and explained, "Macas is the commander of all the Misty World exploration squads. But don't worry about him. He only stays in the stronghold and never dares to leave."
His tone was full of disdain, clearly indicating that Macas was not held in high regard by Xavior.
At that moment, Bernard approached Enzo and growled, "Kid, I didn't expect you to make it here, and that we'd meet again so conveniently. This time, I'll make you pay for crossing me!"
"You've already said that before."
Enzo responded lightly and added another sentence, saying,"But I remember you were on the brink of death back then. Are you looking to experience death again now that you've recovered?"
"Shut up!"
Bernard was furious when Enzo directly exposed him.
Macas also approached, looking at Xavior and deliberately sneering, "Xavior, you brought this person back? Don't you know that everyone who enters the stronghold must go through a screening? You actually brought someone like this back!
Moreover, I suspect this kid might be disguised as one of those monsters. We need to verify this immediately."
Xavior furiously demanded, "Macas, what are you trying to do?"
Macas roared, "Xavior, I'm doing this for the safety of the stronghold. Are you going to stop me?"
Seeing her husband being mistreated, Sandra also came over, anger evident in her voice. "Macas, it was Xavior and I who brought you back to this Misty World. Now you're treating us like this? We shouldn't have bothered to bring you back in the first place!"
Macas, infuriated, shouted, "You bitch, shut up!"
He continued, "If it weren't for you two idiots, I would have been out of here long ago. How could I be trapped in this place?"
After saying that, he ignored Xavior and the others and pointed at Enzo, commanding the group, "This person is disguised by those Moon Tide monsters. Kill him!"
Many people were itching to act.
Bernard stepped forward to stop them, saying, "I'll handle this guy."
Enzo ignored Bernard and turned to Xavior, asking, "Which of these people can we keep?"
Hearing this, Xavior quickly looked up.
He advised, "Enzo, don't be impulsive. We still need these people to help explore the Misty World."
Enzo directly refused, "It's not necessary."
This wasn't due to Enzo's impulsiveness but his genuine opinion.
Although the spatial fluctuations in the Misty World were highly unstable, causing frequent changes in many areas, the existence of stable outposts indicated that there was a way to stabilize the unstable space.
As long as there were more stable outposts, it would be sufficient to find a way to leave the Misty World. It was a cumbersome method, but very effective.
Additionally, and most importantly, Enzo had mastered the spatial element pattern.
By capturing external scents, he could establish corresponding spatial anchors to open a passage and leave.
In other words, Enzo didn't need these people's help at all.
He then turned to the others in the outpost and said, "Now, you have two choices: either stand against me or stand down."
Macas sneered, "Kid, who do you think you are!"
Bernard clenched his fists tightly and slammed them towards Enzo, shouting, "Go to hell with me! Watch me punch your head!"
Just as he finished speaking, Bernard suddenly knelt down in front of Enzo.
He kept bleeding from his mouth and nose, his whole face turned blue purple, and his speech was unclear. He asked, "What have you done to me?"
None of the people present understood what had happened.
They heard Bernard finish his battle declaration, then blood gushed out of his head and he knelt down on the ground.
This bizarre scene frightened many, and Macas shouted, "This kid must be one of those terrifying Moon Tide monsters in disguise!"
At this point, no one stepped forward.
Enzo didn't give Macas another chance to speak.
As Macas spat blood, he still couldn't believe he was dying.
Was it really this simple?
Sometimes, reality is just that starkly clear.
The deaths of Bernard and Macas instilled a sense of awe in the others, and they all expressed their willingness to follow Enzo's orders.
Enzo accepted without refusal.
He gave the command for everyone to search for Norma.
Afterward, he found a quiet spot in the outpost, sat down, and summoned the Ring of the World totem.
At this moment, most of the blank areas on the Ring of the World totem had been filled in, and the patterns had shifted from their initial black and white to multiple colors.
These included the green of life energy, the orange-red of fire energy, the transparent color of spatial energy, the silver-white of lightning energy, and the deep red representing blood element power. The fusion of these five colors made the Ring of the World look even more unusual.
"This blood element pattern is indeed peculiar. It can control the blood within others' bodies."
"However, its primary use is enhancing one's own physical energy. It can even store elemental energy within one's blood and tissues. No wonder Beast God Rexfit's transformed form was so massive."
As Enzo analyzed his current situation, he couldn't help but feel a sense of joy.
The last required element had now been gathered, which meant he could attempt to reach Level 7.
Level 7 is the starting point for high-level supernatural beings, yet it's an elusive goal for many.
However, reaching Level 7 would require leaving the Misty World.
Three days later, while Enzo was immersed in understanding the blood element pattern, he grew impatient. Many people in the outpost had come and gone multiple times, having explored nearly all the outposts but finding no trace of Norma.
Could something have happened to her?
However, while Norma remained unfound, Leiden was discovered.
It was indeed a twist of fate.
Seeing Enzo, Leiden was taken aback and remarked, "It seems you're everywhere."
Upon learning that Enzo was searching for Norma, Leiden suddenly recalled something and said, "Ms. Norma should be fine. If I'm not mistaken, she should be in a past time period."
Enzo stared at Leiden and asked, "What do you mean?"
Leiden explained, "I had previously visited Blood Shadow Canyon and entered a place similar to the Misty World. I encountered Ms. Norma there. However, when I asked her about it, she claimed she had never met me.
The only explanation for this discrepancy is that she must be in a different time period."